About Sgt. John Gage

In 1630 John Gage, of Stoneham, Suffolk Co., England, emigrated to America, landing at Salem, Mass on June 12, 1630. He seems to have first settled in Boston, where he was a minister of the First Church, but in 1633 he became one of the first proprietors of Ipswich, Mass. He rem. to Rowley, Mass. in 1664, where he died in 1673. He had two wives, and according to one account, three. He had eight children, five of his sons being children of his first wife, Anna.

I am sorry to have to report that, In spite of its appearance on a number of other genealogy websites there is absolutely no truth in the claim that the John Gage who was baptised at Kersey, Suffolk, England on 21 April 1606, and who emigrated to Massachusetts, in 1630 was the son of Sir John Gage, 1st Baronet of Firle, Sussex, and his wife Penelope Darcy. It seems that, at some stage, someone has attempted to create a noble 'Pedigree' for him/herself - not an uncommon practice! - and that this has, over time, been copied from one site to another without anyone seeking documentary verification.

In his "The Great Migration Begins" T.C. Anderson says that there is no definitive evidence to say who John's parents were, but that he may have been the son of a John Gage and his wife Jane Lufkin. This John Gage, died in Bradford, Essex County, Massachusetts, on 24 March 1672/3.

John Gage, 2nd son of Sir John Gage of Firle and his wife Penelope Darcy was born at Firle Place, West Firle, East Sussex, England, in 1604. Like the rest of his family, he was a Catholic (the Massachusetts Colony were Puritans) John never left England. He is sometimes said to have been of Stonham, Suffolk, England, a property that was left to him in his mother's will which was 'proved' on 2 July 1661.

According to the "Visitations of Suffolk", John married Mary Baker who pre-deceased him. No children are recorded but, if they had any, they (and their mother) had died before their father.

At the time of his death in 1688 John left his Manors at Stonham and elsewhere to his brother Henry Gage and to Henry's son John. His Will is in the National Archives in London. It was proved on 27 April 1688. The will of his mother is also in the National Archives, London.

I hope this will help you to revise the profile and remove any links from John Gage of Kersey and his descendants to the Gage family of Firle.

Sincerely Martin Wood

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JOHN GAGE was baptised, Apr. 21, 1606, in Kersey, Suffolk, England. He died Mar 24, 1672/73 in Bradford, Essex, MA. He married twice, first to AMEE WILFORD, and second to Sarah Keys. There is no record of JOHN having a daughter as some claim. If he did indeed have a daughter, Mary, she appears nowhere in the records.

JOHN Gage was a man of Puritanic beliefs and thus joined John Winthrop's fleet of eleven ships to the coasts of New England. It has been stated in the book "The Winthrop Fleet of 1630" that JOHN GAGE's wife "Amy" came with him on the journey. This is probable but not documented as there are no known marriage records of his marriage to his first wife, whose name is also spelled as Anna, Amy, or Aimee. Winthrop's fleet consisted of ships designed to transport wine and freight. Temporary shelters were built on the decks to shelter the women and children for the three thousand mile journey across the Atlantic. There were about seven hundred passengers, two hundred cows and sixty horses. After much preparation they left from the Isle of Wight, England, on the 8th of April 1630. JOHN GAGE is thought to have been aboard the flagship Arabella. The master of the ship was Captain Peter Milburne. After a sixty-six day voyage through storms and gales they arrived in Salem harbour. The date was Saturday the 12th of June 1630.

The next day, at anchor in Salem harbour, Masconomet, Sagamore of Agawam, came aboard and welcomed the newcomers to the home of his forefathers. A settlement had been set up in Charlestown in 1629, and it was here they first settled. Of this group about two hundred would die before December due to hardship and illness. John Gage remained in Boston until March of 1633. At this time he went with John Winthrop Jr. to begin a plantation at Agawam, later called Ipswich. No more than twelve men were assigned to go, with the promise of more when other ships arrived. But, of these possible twelve, only nine are known. Among these nine was JOHN GAGE. There were no roads so the journey was undoubtedly made in a small boat along the coast and up the Ipswich River. In a Hardy genealogy it is written that all the men were married and that the wives went later to be with their husbands. On Apr. 1, 1633, it was ordered by the court that no person shall go to plant or inhabit at Agawam, without leave of the court, except those who had already gone. This was to prevent too large a settlement at first. Agawam was not a wilderness settlement. The Indians had cleared the forests, burned the brush and tilled the fields. For many years, because of the fertile fields and fishing, the Indians had a permanent camp there. This is where JOHN GAGE and the small group of settlers established their plantation.

The following year Agawam was opened to other settlers, and on Aug. 4, 1634, the name of the colony was changed to Ipswich in honor of the newcomers. JOHN was admitted a Freeman, at Ipswich, on Mar. 4, 1634. Under the first charter of the Massachusetts colony, none were admitted as Freeman, or members politic, except such as were admitted by the General Court and took the oath of allegience to the government here established. From the town, JOHN GAGE received a number of small parcels of land, the original being for six acres. He built a house on this property, (which is now at 6 Water Street, Ipswich).

He seems to have been a farmer, who varied his occupation by doing carpentry work. His most frequent employment was that of lot layer, and for the settlement of boundaries. The first public official appointed at Ipswich was the town clerk, whose records begin with November 1634. The "lot layers" also appeared at this time, a committee to which was referred the delicate task of assigning the lands. In 1635 JOHN obtained 40 acres of land in what was known as the Egypt River Grants. He also received other lands on Paradise Road where he built a house. In June 1656, he sold the rest of this land, not previously sold, including house and farm on Paradise Road to JOSEPH JEWETT of Rowley.

There are no known records pertaining to the marriage of JOHN and his first wife AMEE. And her surname is not certain. Her son Josiah, though twice married, died without any children. In his will, after remembering his brothers made a bequest to his "cousin Whittaker." This was Mary Wilford, daughter of Gilbert Wilford who was first the wife of John Corliss and second the wife of William Whittaker. Also Gilbert Whittaker may have been a nephew of AMEE, for the birth of four of his chidren 1667-1675 are recorded at Bradford. Records show JOHN and AMEE had seven children, six boys and a girl, all born at Ipswich, but this has been disputed.

On Feb. 20, 1637 the "seven men" of Ipswich were first mentioned. They had been an established feature of town policy earlier than this, but had not been recorded. They were, John Winthrop Jr, Mr. Bradstreet, Mr. Wade, Mr. Denison, Goodman Perkins, Goodman Scott and JOHN GAGE, who were chosen to order business for the next three months. As a lot layer JOHN GAGE was ordered to lay out Mr. Dudley, Mr. Saltingstall, and Mr Bradstreet's farms before May 14, 1637. On Jun. 21, 1637, he was one of the signers of a petition of remonstrance against the departure of John Wintrhop Jr. from Ipswich. The petition was sent to the governor and to the Court of Assistance. John Wintrop left however, and later became the governor of Connecticut. JOHN GAGE was first called "Corporal" in a vote in the town records of Ipswich in the year 1639. In 1641 he is recorded as a commoner.

Most of the following land records are from "Records in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in New England". On May 20, 1642, a report stating the bounds between Ipswich and Cape Ann was signed by JOHN GAGE and others. To establish a village at Wenham, the dividing line between Ipswich and Salem had to be determined. To do this a committee of eight men, four from each town, was chosen. JOHN GAGE was one of the men representing Ipswich, and signed the report on Jan. 27, 1643. On Sep. 10, 1643, he was dismissed from the Boston church to that of Ipswich.

According to "Pioneers in Massachuestts" by Pope, JOHN GAGE and his wife AMEE sold land in Ipswich on Dec. 21, 1653. On May 14, 1654, power was given to JOHN GAGE, Robert Lord, John Dove and Daniel Epps to lay out eight-hundred acres of land for Mr Samuel Symonds, in some free place beyond the Merrimac River. On Jun. 3, 1657, Mr Symond's land was confirmed six-hundred and forty acres between the towns of Dover and Exeter. The testimony is signed by Daniel Epps and JOHN GAGE.

In June of the year 1658 JOHN's wife AMEE died at Ipswich. She was most probably buried at the High Street Burial Ground which was started in 1634. No gravestone is present at this time, seventeenth century grave markers were usually made of wood and would long since have been destroyed by the elements.

As was the custom at the time, because his children were still young and he had to work, JOHN remarried. On Nov. 7, 1658, he married Sarah, widow of Robert Keyes of Watertown, Middlesex and Newbury, Essex, MA. This is taken from the Ipswich Vital Records. JOHN GAGE with his second wife, Sarah, moved from Ispwich to that part of Rowley first called Merrimac Village, and later Bradford, before Dec. 7, 1661. The exact age of John has always been in question due to statements he made in court. In a deposition taken Sep. 27, 1659, Essex Court Papers, Dennison versus Symonds, volume 5, page 19 his age is stated to be fifty, meaning birth in 1609. In another taken March 25, Essex Court Papers, Shortwell versus Smith, Vol 7, page 89, his age is stated to be fifty eight. This gives a birth of 1604. JOHN GAGE and Henry Kingsbury were chosen in Rowley, as the overseers for Pentuckit side for fences and highways. The records for a Rowley town meeting Jun. 19, 1662, show the tax rate of Corporal JOHN GAGE as being 1 pound 9 shilling 8 pence. Also at that same town meeting Robert Haseltine and Corporal Gage were appointed overseers at Pentuckit for the highways and to take care of the fences there. In the year 1664 JOHN GAGE is recorded as having a share and a half in Plum Island. In a bill of charges to the town of Rowley for the year 1665, Corporal JOHN GAGE's bill as a jury man for four days is four shilling. On Jan. 1, 1665, JOHN GAGE purchased from John Carleton for the sum on one-hundred pounds, three hundred acres of land in the northwest corner of Rowley, at a place called the neck, in what is now called Bradford. At a town meeting held Apr. 5, 1671, in what shortly was to become Bradford, the town voted to give all its rights to an island in the Merrimac River to Sergeant JOHN GAGE. This was confirmed by the court records for Jun. 8, 1671. The title for this land had been given to the town of Bradford, then Rowley, in a verbal agreement in 1638 by Masconomet, Sagamore of Agawam along with other lands in the area. A written deed, entitled "Indians to the town of Bradford" dated Apr. 13, 1702, confirmed the title to all lands, including an "Island in the merimack, containg about six acres of land more or less." The island then known as Gage's Island presently known as Kimball's Island.

JOHN GAGE died in Bradford, Mar. 24, 1672/73. His will, undated, was proved in court in the town of Ipswich the following day. It is probable that he was buried in the Bradford Burial Ground, which is now located on Salem Street. The land for this burial ground and the town meeting house that was set up there, was given by John Haseltine at the town meeting Jan. 5, 1665. There is no grave marker for JOHN as it was probably made of wood.

JOHN's second wife, Sarah, died Jul. 7, 1681 in Newbury.

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Biography

JOHN GAGE was baptised, Apr. 21, 1606, in Kersey, Suffolk, England. He died Mar 24, 1672/73 in Bradford, Essex, MA. He married twice, first to AMEE WILFORD, and second to Sarah Keys. There is no record of JOHN having a daughter as some claim. If he did indeed have a daughter, Mary, she appears nowhere in the records.

JOHN Gage was a man of Puritanic beliefs and thus joined John Winthrop's fleet of eleven ships to the coasts of New England. It has been stated in the book "The Winthrop Fleet of 1630" that JOHN GAGE's wife "Amy" came with him on the journey. This is probable but not documented as there are no known marriage records of his marriage to his first wife, whose name is also spelled as Anna, Amy, or Aimee. Winthrop's fleet consisted of ships designed to transport wine and freight. Temporary shelters were built on the decks to shelter the women and children for the three thousand mile journey across the Atlantic. There were about seven hundred passengers, two hundred cows and sixty horses. After much preparation they left from the Isle of Wight, England, on the 8th of April 1630. JOHN GAGE is thought to have been aboard the flagship Arabella. The master of the ship was Captain Peter Milburne. After a sixty-six day voyage through storms and gales they arrived in Salem harbour. The date was Saturday the 12th of June 1630.

The next day, at anchor in Salem harbour, Masconomet, Sagamore of Agawam, came aboard and welcomed the newcomers to the home of his forefathers. A settlement had been set up in Charlestown in 1629, and it was here they first settled. Of this group about two hundred would die before December due to hardship and illness. John Gage remained in Boston until March of 1633. At this time he went with John Winthrop Jr. to begin a plantation at Agawam, later called Ipswich. No more than twelve men were assigned to go, with the promise of more when other ships arrived. But, of these possible twelve, only nine are known. Among these nine was JOHN GAGE. There were no roads so the journey was undoubtedly made in a small boat along the coast and up the Ipswich River. In a Hardy genealogy it is written that all the men were married and that the wives went later to be with their husbands. On Apr. 1, 1633, it was ordered by the court that no person shall go to plant or inhabit at Agawam, without leave of the court, except those who had already gone. This was to prevent too large a settlement at first. Agawam was not a wilderness settlement. The Indians had cleared the forests, burned the brush and tilled the fields. For many years, because of the fertile fields and fishing, the Indians had a permanent camp there. This is where JOHN GAGE and the small group of settlers established their plantation.

The following year Agawam was opened to other settlers, and on Aug. 4, 1634, the name of the colony was changed to Ipswich in honor of the newcomers. JOHN was admitted a Freeman, at Ipswich, on Mar. 4, 1634. Under the first charter of the Massachusetts colony, none were admitted as Freeman, or members politic, except such as were admitted by the General Court and took the oath of allegience to the government here established. From the town, JOHN GAGE received a number of small parcels of land, the original being for six acres. He built a house on this property, (which is now at 6 Water Street, Ipswich).

He seems to have been a farmer, who varied his occupation by doing carpentry work. His most frequent employment was that of lot layer, and for the settlement of boundaries. The first public official appointed at Ipswich was the town clerk, whose records begin with November 1634. The "lot layers" also appeared at this time, a committee to which was referred the delicate task of assigning the lands. In 1635 JOHN obtained 40 acres of land in what was known as the Egypt River Grants. He also received other lands on Paradise Road where he built a house. In June 1656, he sold the rest of this land, not previously sold, including house and farm on Paradise Road to JOSEPH JEWETT of Rowley.

There are no known records pertaining to the marriage of JOHN and his first wife AMEE. And her surname is not certain. Her son Josiah, though twice married, died without any children. In his will, after remembering his brothers made a bequest to his "cousin Whittaker." This was Mary Wilford, daughter of Gilbert Wilford who was first the wife of John Corliss and second the wife of William Whittaker. Also Gilbert Whittaker may have been a nephew of AMEE, for the birth of four of his chidren 1667-1675 are recorded at Bradford. Records show JOHN and AMEE had seven children, six boys and a girl, all born at Ipswich, but this has been disputed.

On Feb. 20, 1637 the "seven men" of Ipswich were first mentioned. They had been an established feature of town policy earlier than this, but had not been recorded. They were, John Winthrop Jr, Mr. Bradstreet, Mr. Wade, Mr. Denison, Goodman Perkins, Goodman Scott and JOHN GAGE, who were chosen to order business for the next three months. As a lot layer JOHN GAGE was ordered to lay out Mr. Dudley, Mr. Saltingstall, and Mr Bradstreet's farms before May 14, 1637. On Jun. 21, 1637, he was one of the signers of a petition of remonstrance against the departure of John Wintrhop Jr. from Ipswich. The petition was sent to the governor and to the Court of Assistance. John Wintrop left however, and later became the governor of Connecticut. JOHN GAGE was first called "Corporal" in a vote in the town records of Ipswich in the year 1639. In 1641 he is recorded as a commoner.

Most of the following land records are from "Records in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in New England". On May 20, 1642, a report stating the bounds between Ipswich and Cape Ann was signed by JOHN GAGE and others. To establish a village at Wenham, the dividing line between Ipswich and Salem had to be determined. To do this a committee of eight men, four from each town, was chosen. JOHN GAGE was one of the men representing Ipswich, and signed the report on Jan. 27, 1643. On Sep. 10, 1643, he was dismissed from the Boston church to that of Ipswich.

According to "Pioneers in Massachuestts" by Pope, JOHN GAGE and his wife AMEE sold land in Ipswich on Dec. 21, 1653. On May 14, 1654, power was given to JOHN GAGE, Robert Lord, John Dove and Daniel Epps to lay out eight-hundred acres of land for Mr Samuel Symonds, in some free place beyond the Merrimac River. On Jun. 3, 1657, Mr Symond's land was confirmed six-hundred and forty acres between the towns of Dover and Exeter. The testimony is signed by Daniel Epps and JOHN GAGE.

In June of the year 1658 JOHN's wife AMEE died at Ipswich. She was most probably buried at the High Street Burial Ground which was started in 1634. No gravestone is present at this time, seventeenth century grave markers were usually made of wood and would long since have been destroyed by the elements. As was the custom at the time, because his children were still young and he had to work, JOHN remarried. On Nov. 7, 1658, he married Sarah, widow of Robert Keyes of Watertown, Middlesex and Newbury, Essex, MA. This is taken from the Ipswich Vital Records. JOHN GAGE with his second wife, Sarah, moved from Ispwich to that part of Rowley first called Merrimac Village, and later Bradford, before Dec. 7, 1661. The exact age of John has always been in question due to statements he made in court. In a deposition taken Sep. 27, 1659, Essex Court Papers, Dennison versus Symonds, volume 5, page 19 his age is stated to be fifty, meaning birth in 1609. In another taken March 25, Essex Court Papers, Shortwell versus Smith, Vol 7, page 89, his age is stated to be fifty eight. This gives a birth of 1604. JOHN GAGE and Henry Kingsbury were chosen in Rowley, as the overseers for Pentuckit side for fences and highways. The records for a Rowley town meeting Jun. 19, 1662, show the tax rate of Corporal JOHN GAGE as being 1 pound 9 shilling 8 pence. Also at that same town meeting Robert Haseltine and Corporal Gage were appointed overseers at Pentuckit for the highways and to take care of the fences there. In the year 1664 JOHN GAGE is recorded as having a share and a half in Plum Island. In a bill of charges to the town of Rowley for the year 1665, Corporal JOHN GAGE's bill as a jury man for four days is four shilling. On Jan. 1, 1665, JOHN GAGE purchased from John Carleton for the sum on one-hundred pounds, three hundred acres of land in the northwest corner of Rowley, at a place called the neck, in what is now called Bradford. At a town meeting held Apr. 5, 1671, in what shortly was to become Bradford, the town voted to give all its rights to an island in the Merrimac River to Sergeant JOHN GAGE. This was confirmed by the court records for Jun. 8, 1671. The title for this land had been given to the town of Bradford, then Rowley, in a verbal agreement in 1638 by Masconomet, Sagamore of Agawam along with other lands in the area. A written deed, entitled "Indians to the town of Bradford" dated Apr. 13, 1702, confirmed the title to all lands, including an "Island in the merimack, containg about six acres of land more or less." The island then known as Gage's Island presently known as Kimball's Island.

JOHN GAGE died in Bradford, Mar. 24, 1672/73. His will, undated, was proved in court in the town of Ipswich the following day. It is probable that he was buried in the Bradford Burial Ground, which is now located on Salem Street. The land for this burial ground and the town meeting house that was set up there, was given by John Haseltine at the town meeting Jan. 5, 1665. There is no grave marker for JOHN as it was probably made of wood.

JOHN's second wife, Sarah, died Jul. 7, 1681 in Newbury. ____________________________________ John Gage (son of John Gage and Penelope Darcy)550, 550, 550, 550 was born 21 Apr 1606 in Ipswich, Essex, Massachusetts, USA550, 550, and died 24 Mar 1673 in Bradford, Essex, Massachusetts, USA550, 550. He married (1) Amee Wilford. He married (3) Mary Keys. He married (4) Anna Amee. He married (5) Ann Batt. He married (6) Aimee in England550. He married (7) Sarah. He married (8) Amee Wilford in Sfflk, England550. He married (9) Sarah Keyes. He married (10) Anna Amee. He married (11) Ann Batt. He married (12) Mary Keys. He married (13) Amee. He married (14) Amee. He married (15) Amee. He married (16) Amee. He married (17) Ann. He married (19) Amee on 1636550. He married (20) Sarah on 07 Nov 1658 in Ipswich, Massachusetts, USA550. He married (21) Amee on 1638 in Salisbury, Massachusetts, USA550. He married (22) Anna on 1640 in Massachusetts, USA550. He married (23) Anna on 1640 in Massachusetts, USA550. He married (24) Sarah on 07 Nov 1658 in Ipswich, Massachusetts, USA550. He married (25) Sarah on 1658550. He married (26) Sarah on 1658550. He married (27) Amy Kingsbury on 1635 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA550. He married (28) Sarah Keyes on 07 Nov 1658 in Ipswich, Essex, Massachusetts, USA550. He married (29) Amy Anna Wilford on 1638 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, USA550. He married (30) Amee Wilford on 1635 in Bradford, Essex, Massachusetts, USA550. He married (31) Sarah on 07 Nov 1658550. He married (32) Anna on 1633 in Massachusetts, USA550. He married (33) Sarah on Nov 1658 in Ipswich, Essex, Massachusetts, USA550. He married (34) Amy on 1638 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, USA550. He married (35) Anna on 1633 in Massachusetts, USA550. He married (36) Amee on 1636550. He married (37) Amy on 1630550. He married (38) Amy on 1635 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, USA550. He married (39) Sarah Keyes on 1658550. He married (40) Sarah Gage Keys on Nov 1658 in Ipswich, Essex, Massachusetts, USA550. He married (41) Amee Kingsbury on 1635 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA550. He married (42) Sarah Keyes on 07 Nov 1658 in Ipswich, Massachusetts, USA550. He married (43) Sarah Keyes on 07 Nov 1658 in Ipswich, Essex, Massachusetts,

Name Sgt. John Gage57, M Birth Date abt 1605 Death Date 24 Mar 1672/1673 Age: 67 Death Place Bradford, Essex, MA Flags Great Migration Misc. Notes • Born in Parish of Kersey, Suffolk Co., England • John Gage was baptised 21 Apr 1606 (Bishop's transcripts) • Landed in Salem, MA June 12, 1630 on the Ship Arbella, one of the eleven ships of the Winthrop Fleet • Signed the covenant of the First Church, Boston, Aug 27, 1630 • One of the first 13 settlers of Ipswich, Ma; was of Ipswich, 1633; the house at 6 Water Street in Ipswich, Ma is referred to as the Gage house. (possibly not this Gage) • Was of Rowley before October, 1661, when he was chosen one of the "overseers for pentuckit sid." His home was in that part of Rowley later in Bradford. • About 50 years old in 1659 (Essex Ct. Files) • Married Amy/Amee either Kingsbury or Wilford • His second wife was Sarah Keyes, widow of Robert Keyes of Watertown, who he married in Ipswich on Nov 7, 1658. • Died in Bradford, Essex County, Ma • In his will (Essex Probate) he mentions wife, Sarah; sons Samuel, Daniel, Nathaniel, Jonathan, and Josiah Gage; "My granson to have an equal share with each of them." • On Feb 16, 1718 a bond of administration of Daniel Gage for 200 pounds was taken out on the estate of his grandfather, John Gage of Bradford (Essex Co., Probate Files, Docket 10,484) Mentioned: "John Gage, Late of Bradford, formerly of Ipswich, deceased, Lying in Ipswich" • On Dec 13, 1719 his grandsons sold for forty pounds to Jacob Foster of Ipswich, an "Old Comonage or Comon Right" in the township of Ipswich. (1641) (Essex Co. Deeds, vol 48, p 98)

________________________________________________ In spite of its appearance on a number of RootsWeb pages and other genealogy sites there is absolutely no truth in the claim that the John Gage who was baptised at Kersey, Suffolk, England on 21 April 1606, and who emigrated to Massachusetts in 1630 was the son of Sir John Gage, 1st Baronet of Firle, Sussex, and his wife Penelope Darcy. It seems that, at some stage, someone has attempted to create a noble 'Pedigree' for him/herself - not an uncommon practice! - and that this has, over time, been copied from one site to another without anyone seeking documentary verification.

In his "The Great Migration Begins" T.C. Anderson says that there is no definitive evidence to say who John's parents were, but that he may have been the son of a John Gage and his wife Jane Lufkin. This John Gage, died in Bradford, Essex County, Massachusetts, on 24 March 1672/3.

John Gage, 2nd son of Sir John Gage of Firle and his wife Penelope Darcy was born at Firle Place in 1604. Like the rest of his family, he was a Catholic (the Massachusetts Colony were Puritans) John never left England. He is sometimes said to have been of Stonham, Suffolk, England, a property that was left to him in his mother's will which was 'proved' on 2 July 1661.

I have seen it said that John married a Mary Baker who pre-deceased him, but I have seen no evidence for this and, if they had any children, they had died before their father.

1. John 1 Gage first appears as one of the signers to the covenant roll of the First Church in Boston, Aug. 27, 1630, and from his position on the list, which was headed by Gov. Winthrop, it may be inferred that he was of the number who came over from England in Winthrop's fleet. Some have claimed, on the authority of the late Horatio Somerby, that he was from Stoneham, in Suffolk, England, and was the second son of Sir John Gage, Bart., who married Penelope, widow of Sir George Trenchard ; but as that John Gage, the second son of Sir John and Penelope, married one Mary Baker,* and died in England, without issue, leaving a will dated July 17, 1682, proved April 27, 1688, he could not have been our John Gage the immigrant.

John 1 Gage remained in Boston until March, 1633, when he went, with John Winthrop, Jr., to begin a plantation at Agawam, afterwards called Ipswich. On Mar. 4, 1633, he was admitted a freeman.

From the town he received a number of small parcels of land. He seems to have been a farmer, who varied his occupation by doing carpenter work. His most frequent employment was that of a lot layer, and for the settlement of the boundaries between Ipswich and the adjoining towns, and he was once chosen one of the seven men (selectmen). He is first called "Corporal " in a vote in the town records of Ipswich for the year 1639, and "Sergeant" in a vote of the town of Bradford, Apr. 18, 1670. Evi- dently he settled in that part of the town of Rowley which was first known as Merrimack Village, and afterwards as Bradford, some time prior to 1661.

In a deposition of John Gage, taken Sept. 27, 1659, his age is stated to be fifty years ;| and in another, taken Mar. 25, 1662, his age is stated to be fifty-eight years. $

His first wife, and the mother of his children, was Amee ,§ who

died about the middle of June, 1658.

His second wife was Sarah, widow of Robert Keyes of Watertown and Newbury, whom he married Nov. 7, 1658, and who died in Newbury, July 7, 1681, her estate being distributed among her three daughters, the wives of William Smith, John French, and Samuel Bus well.

John Gage died Mar. 24, 1672-3, leaving a will, proved Mar. 25, 1673, in which he mentions his widow Sarah, sons Samuel, Daniel, Nathaniel, Jonathan, and Josiah, and a grandson (John, son of his deceased son Ben- jamin). It appears from his will that he divided his farm, with the excep- tion of his island in the Merrimack, among his sons before his death, and